Dear Henry Gough-Cooper,
Leuthiern (Lugthiern) was, according to Holweck's _Biographical
Dictionary of the Saints_, a disciple of St Ruadhan, of Lothra, Ireland
and a contemporary of St Brigid. After becoming abbot of Ennistymon he
eventually crossed to Brittany where he became bishop of Aleth. In 965 the
bishop of Aleth brought his relics to Paris, where they were deposited in
the church of St Bartholomew. Fd 28 April.
The _Dictionnaire des Saints Bretons_ follows your equation of Modiern
with Mordiern and derives the name from *Magu-tegerno. It states that 'St
Mordiern' is the name of the original patron of the parish of Plomodiern,
near Chateaulin, South Finistere; and goes on to say that the current patron
of that parish is St Mahouarn/Magloire.
I hope this helps a bit.
Best wishes,
Martin Howley
Martin Howley, Humanities Librarian, Tel: (709) 737-8514
QE II Library, Memorial Univ of Newfoundland FAX: (709) 737-2153
St John's, NFLD, Canada A1B 3Y1 E-mail:[log in to unmask]
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'Ne credat lector, quod sibi sufficiat lectio sine unctione, speculatio
sine devotione, investigatio sine admiratione, ....industria sine pietate,
scientia sine caritate, intelligentia sine humilitate.' -- St Bonaventure
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On Fri, 21 May 1999, Henry Gough-Cooper wrote:
> I am making a survey of personal names containing the element *tegerno- and
> its later variants and would like to locate, in time and space, two breton
> saints
>
> 1) Leutiern or Loutiern
>
> 2) Modiern (which Loth thought perhaps the same as the welsh Mordeyrn of
> Nantglyn, Denbighshire)
>
> For the first I have no further information, for the second I have the
> place-name Plomodiern (formerly Plomordiern) but cannot find its location
> in Brittany.
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